The Association of Autonomous Austrian Women’s Shelters (AÖF) reported a record high in femicides in the country on Sunday.

AÖF reports that every month, about three women are murdered in Austria. The majority of these murders involve a partner or family relationship between the perpetrator and the victim. The organization claims there have been 15 femicides and 26 cases of serious violence against women in 2024, as of August 2.

AÖF is the umbrella organization of 16 autonomous women’s shelters in Austria. In 2023, the shelters cared for a total of 1,148 people, with 571 women and 577 children seeking help.

Research suggests that the number of female victims of murder and violence continues to rise. Austria Police Crime Statistics records that 30 male and 42 female murders were reported in 2023. Compared to 2022, this is a decline in the number of male victims by 9.1 percent and an increase in the number of female victims by 7.7 percent. Furthermore, according to 2021 figures recorded by Statistik Austria, 23.47 percent of women experience physical violence from the age of 15, while 23.7 percent of women experience sexual violence from the same age.

In its Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, the European Commission aims to take comprehensive measures in the fight against gender-based violence. This includes comprehensive and comparable data collection on violence against women.

In its strategy, the EU states:

Gender-based violence, in all its forms, remains under-reported and overlooked, both inside and outside the EU. The EU will do all it can to prevent and combat gender-based violence, support and protect victims of such crimes, and hold perpetrators accountable for their abusive behaviour.

The EU recognizes that gender-based violence remains one of society’s biggest challenges.